Vol. 53 No. 4 (2025): Published December 30, 2025
DOI https://doi.org/10.18799/26584956/2025/4/2083
Philosophical and sociological analysis of the causes and factors of drug addiction among youth in the context of alienation from modern society
This article analyzes the pressing problem of drug addiction among youth in the postmodern era as a philosophical crisis of alienation from authentic existence, caused by the fragmentation of worldviews and the growing role of virtual reality. The authors draw on existential psychology, including the concepts of existential vacuum and the search for meaning, the escape from freedom through addiction, and capitalist logic as the source of deviant behavior. Young people turn to drugs as an illusory escape from anxiety, meaninglessness, and responsibility, a situation exacerbated by capitalist logic, which not only reduces individuals to a cog in the system but also turns substances into profitable commodities. Aim. To analyze drug addiction through the prism of existentialism, psychoanalysis, and social philosophy, to uncover its causes and the factors that contribute to its spread, and to propose ways to prevent and overcome drug addiction. Methods. Analysis of key philosophical concepts relevant to the article (Erich Fromm's alienation, Frankl's existential vacuum, Max Weber's capitalist rationality), cultural-historical overview (postmodernism, post-Soviet transformations), and analysis of sociological survey results and statistical information – empirical data, revealing the scale of the drug market, youth involvement, and family factors that contribute to drug addiction. Results. Drug addiction is not simply a medical problem, but a symptom of alienation: young people lose touch with reality; soft drugs (alcohol, marijuana) and hard drugs (opiates, synthetics) become tools of escapism. Capitalist logic stimulates the drug market as a highly profitable business, ignoring the social consequences, while family problems push people toward deviant groups. Exploring the problem of drug addiction in the Russian context (including reference to the post-Soviet reform era), the authors emphasize that the rapid spread of drug addiction is linked to social stratification, transformation of collective consciousness, and distortion of being-with-others, as well as family dysfunction (according to sociological surveys). Conclusions. Repressive stigmatization marginalizes drug addicts. Drug addiction prevention requires education focused on virtue and justice, integration into authentic life through sports and art, and a synthesis of philosophical and sociological ideas to find meaning in life and overcome escapism. Education focused on balancing individual and collective interests will help prevent the cycle of addiction.
Keywords:
drug addiction, youth, postmodern era, alienation, existential vacuum, escape from freedom, capitalism, social stratification, group pressure, escapism
References:
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